A 17-year-old Indian-origin teenager has been charged with murdering his mother and younger brother at their home in US's Massachusetts, authorities said.
Arjun Aravind faces two counts of murder for killing his mother, Sudha Venkatesan, 45, and his 14-year-old brother, Siddharth Aravind. He has also been charged with several other offences related to the incident.
The murder came to light after police received a call shortly after 6.30 pm on August 11 from Arjun’s father, who said he had been unable to contact his wife and children. A tutor expected at the house had also been unable to reach the family.
According to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and police, the two victims were found later dead inside their home in Acton, on Tuesday evening.
Arjun’s father had last spoken to his wife that morning before leaving for work, while younger son Siddharth was last seen around noon. When officers arrived at the home, they found Siddharth dead on the first floor and Sudha in the finished basement.
Both victims had suffered "obvious trauma", officials said. The exact cause and manner of death have not yet been determined,and investigators are still working to establish what weapon, if any, was used.
Police said Arjun was not at the house when officers arrived and had allegedly fled in his mother’s car. After an initial search failed to locate him, investigators alerted other law enforcement agencies and issued a public lookout.
He was found early on Wednesday in Wayland in Massachusetts after local police, responding to an unrelated alarm at a parking lot, located the vehicle with Arjun inside. He was taken into custody without incident.
The attorney’s office said its investigation indicated that Arjun had recently displayed "concerning behaviour", including using the internet and ChatGPT to search for theoretical ideas or fantasies about killing his family.
"The subsequent investigation indicates that Arjun had recently been demonstrating concerning behaviour, including using the internet and ChatGPT to make searches for theoretical ideas or fantasies regarding killing his family," a statement by the Attorney said.
In addition to the murder charges, Arjun faces two counts each of assault and battery on a household or family member and assault and battery. He has also been charged with unauthorised use of a vehicle and theft of a motor vehicle.
Arjun was expected to be produced in a local juvenile court. Since the juvenile court does not have jurisdiction over murder charges, he will later be arraigned on the murder and related assault charges in the district court.
The investigation into the deaths of Sudha Venkatesan and Siddharth Aravind remains ongoing, officials added. Authorities and reports have not specified which Indian state the family was originally from.
Source: India Today